.221Fireball or .222 Remington ???????

[Phil]

40 gr. bullets only, varmint gun, what would you build and WHY ?????????????????????



Phil.

 

[V509]

No wrong answer here
222 brass might be easier to find

 

[Toolbreaker]

No wrong answer here

Yes sir. Looks to be about 150 fps difference, but I'd think the rest is academic for the purpose. Phil, which one trips your "that's cool" factor more? That would be the one I'd choose.

 

[JamesinAsheville]

I have both and both are fun to shoot. But the fireball is a bit more fun to me. I'm using 18 grains of xxx powder and a 40 grain Vmax running 3400 fps and shoots a hole. My 222 is running about 3200....maybe, and it shoots very well.....ole 788 Remington. Lapua brass is easy to find now also. Either way you want be disappointed.

 

[LHSmith]

The only consideration I can think of is to be mindful of what action (donor or otherwise) is selected for use with the .221.....IIRC the ejector on a Rem 700 is in a different location, the feedrail dimensions may be different, as well as the mag well needs spacers.

 

[XBBR Shooter]

40 gr. bullets only, varmint gun, what would you build and WHY ?????????????????????

Phil.

I have both (plus the 223 and 222 Mag), and they are my favorite cartridge family.

There is an issue with the 221 FireBall. If you build it on a bolt repeater M-700, you need to start with a previous 221 action. The reason is the .221 requires a higher extractor angle than the other three - Remington discovered this the hard way and had to make the change after the first release.

 

[Cold Bore]

I have a 221 Fireball, 222 Rem, 223 Rem, and 222 Rem Mag.

All are fun, and all get it done on groundhogs at reasonable ranges.

Of the batch, if I am on a "serious" groundhog hunt, I usually grab a 223, only because I have a couple purpose built guns in that chambering.

If I want to have "fun", I usually grab the Fireball. Not sure why, but it's just a fun little round, and kills with it are more satisfying for some reason.

Strangely, I rarely grab a 222 or 222 Mag, since those rifles don't lend themselves as well to my style of groundhog hunting, though they have accounted for more than a few over the years.

 

[gtl1946]

I also have them all but am not a hunter - I'm a "sick" caliber freak ! For large Vol. shooting the mag. is out as it's too difficult to find enough brass . The Fireball is a neat little cart. but I find you may have to work to get it to shoot . The 223 for accurate vol. shooting ,but my love is the 222 - extremely accurate and one of those cart. that IF you don't have one and don't need a large vol. shooter my vote is the 222 .

 

[boltman223]

I have a 221 and love it and it's probably one of my favorites to shoot also.

I spent a few years in Idaho and did some whistle pig shooting with my 221(w/40 gr. Nos BTwhile) I was there . Because of the longer shots and how windy it was I wanted something with a little more velocity. Being a minimalist I thought a 222 would fit the bill. The inherent accuracy and it being easier to find an action suited for the 222 helped the decision too.

 

[SS427]

I would pick the .221 Fireball because after the barrel is toast I could re-chamber it to a 20 VarTarg.

 

[SDWhirlwind]

What XBBR said..... The Fireball is a hoot to shoot IMO. Have Fireball, a couple 222's, a handful or more of 223's in different configurations and more than a couple 222mags. All are great shooters. Finished a Fireball a couple months ago with Bartlein 12tw but haven't mounted a scope or started testing and have a new LVSF. The issue with the Fireball is making sure you set up proper mag pieces for proper feeding and finding a correct bolt for proper ejection. My action was new and with the 222/223 extractor hook location ejection is hit and miss, mostly miss but I haven't found a factory Fireball bolt and if I do I am sure it won't be cheap????

So, IMO the downside of the Fireball over the other small bolt face is its length and the issues that need addressed for that!!

Respectfully,
Dennis

 

[XBBR Shooter]

I would pick the .221 Fireball because after the barrel is toast I could re-chamber it to a 20 VarTarg.

How do you "Re-chamber" a .221 FireBall, to a 20 calibre Vartag??

(... and not considering that it would take 4 life times to "toast" a .221 FireBall).

Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[boltman223]

My action was new and with the 222/223 extractor hook location ejection is hit and miss, mostly miss but I haven't found a factory Fireball bolt and if I do I am sure it won't be cheap????

Respectfully,
Dennis

You could solve the extraction issue with a sako or m16 extractor.

 

[bheadboy]

this is a fun topic, there is very little difference in the accuracy of the 221,222,222m as I have had them all in 40x"s with hart bbl for pd shooting, I will say the 221 max out about 250-300 if there is moderate wind, the 222 at 300-400 and the 222m will work will out to 450 in my experience --- all unless a heavey wind day then take 100 of each.

Bob

 

[Phil]

Action will be a bat SV, so feeding is of little issue.

All loads will be throttled up to max velocity, given the accuracy stays where it is needed.

I have other varmint rigs, but have been stuck on the deuce, mention it and the fireball comes into play.

Still not sure where this will lead, but i appreciate all the input and the experiences that all have had with either of these chamberings.

Please keep the info coming.

Phil.

 

[NorCalMikie]

Being that the .221 Fireball is so accurate (and one of my favorite rounds ) that would be my choice. But, depends on what you want it for. Longer than say 250 or 300 yards? Maybe the .222 or even the .223. Build one of each. Less powder in the Fireball compared to any of the others. And, the VT doesn't out do the Fireball. Just the little bitty bullets are harder to handle. Lapua and Norma brass is available for the Fireball so no issues there.

 

[XBBR Shooter]

Action will be a bat SV, so feeding is of little issue.

All loads will be throttled up to max velocity, given the accuracy stays where it is needed.

I have other varmint rigs, but have been stuck on the deuce, mention it and the fireball comes into play.

Still not sure where this will lead, but i appreciate all the input and the experiences that all have had with either of these chamberings.

Please keep the info coming.

Phil.

Contrary to what some have said, brass for the .221 and 222 Mag is readily available from Lapua and Nosler.

 

[snert]

PD's? Fireball. Groundhogs? Minimum of 222 (I love mine) but a 222 Mag looks even better. Need energy at range for groundhogs. I hate the 223 only because every Tom dick and harry has one...

 

[Phil]

Snert,

I have a 223 and a 223 AI as well as a few 20`s, a 17, a few other 22`s, 6mm`s in BRDX and Dasher, a 6.5 and a 7mm......

I`m just looking at getting some opinions on what others are using and why they like them.

Keep up the good work on your end, i love reading about it, i`m glad you and Fred managed to burn some powder he`s a great guy.

Phil.

 

[Gabe22BR]

Make it a drop port fireball. Efficient, one of a kind.